Royal American’s Leading Women Week 4

This Women’s History Month, we’re excited to highlight the voices and experiences of women in leadership across Royal American.

Throughout the month, we’ll share personal stories from several of our female leaders as they reflect on their paths, challenges, and inspirations.

Tune in throughout the month as we celebrate the women who help lead this company—and discover the inspiration their journeys offer.

VERONICA RAMSEY

VP OF COMPLIANCE

Royal American Corporate 

Starting Date / Position:

May 2022 / VP of Compliance

Veronica & Grandsons, L-R: Tommy, Veronica, Damien

IN HER OWN WORDS

1. What originally drew you to your field, and what key experiences shaped your journey to where you are today?

As I look back on my career, I realize that so many things in my life shaped my journey to where I am today. Being a child of teachers and a preacher instilled following the rules, respect, kindness, and always learning throughout my childhood. Becoming a mother of 6 taught me patience and dealing with multiple personalities. Key traits needed to lead a compliance department. A divorce led me to learning everything I could about financing a home. As hard as the divorce was, it led me to a job with KY Housing Corporation(KHC) in the Single Family Homeownership Dept.(SFH). During my time in the SFH Department, I started training partners with KHC on our compliance procedures. This led to my passion with compliance. Self-motivation to better myself along with learning opportunities provided by KHC I was able to transition to the Multi-family Compliance Department. I remember my first day in multi-family like it was yesterday. The department was having a meeting about APR reports. I was sitting there wondering why multi-family is worrying about annual percentage rates. I was embarrassed that I didn’t know but raised my hand and asked. The acronym APR meant something totally different in multi-family. It was Annual Performance reporting. That was an impactful moment on how I trained others. No question is dumb, don’t be afraid to ask. Being proactive in my own learning has been key to my journey so far. Living and learning go hand in hand, and I am not done with either!

2. What strengths or perspectives do you feel women bring to this type of role that help drive meaningful impact?

Most women often lead with “communal” instincts which fosters emotional intelligence and empathy. It also allows women to sense team stress early and try to respond to emotional needs. I feel this helps lead a team that develops trust, loyalty, and psychological safety. I feel women tend to make authentic connections with employees and other team members. Women inherently can multi-task. Something that is a must in this position. Fun Fact: During COVID -19 pandemic, female-led organizations often performed better than male led organizations. This was attributed to a focus on long-term stability and empathetic communication during high-stress periods.

3. Every career comes with hurdles. Can you share a challenge you’ve faced—either in leadership or in finance—and how it contributed to your growth as a professional?

It is hard for me to pinpoint one specific challenge to share. What I can share is there have been many hurdles and challenges along the way. Some days it could seem like I was an Olympic Hurdle jumper, lol, but with each one I pushed towards the finish line. Hurdles and challenges help us learn how to handle situations better. We grow by going through hard times. We become stagnant if we are not challenged. Keep learning how to be better than the day before, continue to push through, don’t give up and probably the most important is do your best to not being the challenge or hurdle for someone else. A wise woman (my mother) would tell me if you’re not part of the solution, your part of the problem. That has helped with my growth both personal and professional.

4. What hobbies, interests, or activities help you recharge and stay balanced?

I love spending time with my 2 grandsons Tommy and Damien. I am VeVe to them and spoil them rotten. I put a tv in a bathroom for them, have their favorite ice cream and treats when they visit. My time with them helps me to forget all the troubles of the world. My family has regular dinner and game nights. Any time my house is full of family and/or friends, my heart is full. My daughters and I have recently set aside some time once a month to play Mahjong. Time with my crazy bunch keeps me grounded. I also enjoying getting my hands dirty gardening and growing plants. Being out in nature helps me stayed balanced. I also love to travel, alone or with family and friends I am ready to go!

5. What message would you share with young women in our organization who aspire to leadership roles or want to break into fields where they may not always see themselves represented?

Being a leader is a mindset. Don’t wait for a leadership title to be given to you, act like a leader. Being active at the “table”, speak up and give your perspective. Surround yourself with the right people, professionally and personal. This is so important. Negative influencers can drag you down, cause doubt and fear. Have the people in your circle that will be your mentor, your biggest cheer leader, someone who is not afraid to constructively criticize or disagree with you, and someone who has your back regardless of being in their presence or not. My mother would always say “Where there is a will, there is a way.”